JUSTICE LEAGUE #1

Review by: ghostmann

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Written by GEOFF JOHNS
Art and cover by JIM LEE and SCOTT WILLIAMS
Variant cover by DAVID FINCH

Size: 40 pages
Price: 3.99

Here it is! The most EPIC review of Justice League #1 ever! I break it down PAGE by PAGE, so go grab your copy of the comic and follow along why don’t ya!

PAGE 1: Alright! after months of waiting I have JL #1 in my hands – the opening shot of the new DC Universe! The first page is pretty awesome. That first panel is quintessential Jim Lee – Special-Ops Para-Military dudes pointing guns at shit. You can tell Lee loves drawing these type of guys, ever since his X-Men days and the Maverick character.Geoff also lets us know right off the bat that superheroes are new and haven’t been around that long. Batman is once again, in this new DCU, an outlaw. cool. The second panel we get “Frank Miller Helicopters”. You know what I’m talking about, you know in Dark Knight Returns and the way Miller drew the helicopters in the book? Well everyone and their mother has aped that look. We also read that this is taking place 5 years ago. The 3rd panel is one of the best looking Jim Lee Batman close-ups I’ve seen. Nice work.

PAGE 2 and 3: Ahhh, the giant splash page. Obviously the Gotham Police Dept likes to shoot first and ask questions later. I’m guessing the James Gordon has yet to become Commissioner. Beautiful art by Lee on this one.

PAGE 4: We see Batman shoot some smoke grenades at the helicopters (I’m not sure why. Wouldn’t the wind-blast from the routers just cause the smoke to dissipate? I guess it was “Helicopter Repellent” that Batman used.) We also get to catch a glimpse at the dude Batman is chasing. Looks like Killer Croc with Goth goggles on.

PAGE 5: Oof, Batman shoots his grappling hook RIGHT THROUGH the Goth Croc’s leg. That’s gotta hurt, or at the very least cripple the mother-fucker for life. I’m guessing in this new DCU Batman plays by a different set of rules then the old DCU Batman. Well, we are 5 pages in to JL #1 and it’s pretty much been the JIM LEE show. Geoff Johns hasn’t shown up yet. But I have high hopes for page 6. Let’s flip the page and see if there are some words to read.

PAGE 6:Nope, not much to read on this page, except the word “WHAT” which echos my sentiments exactly. “What the hell Geoff?! Give us some words to read. Let us know what these characters are thinking in some dialogue boxes. I want to have 6 pages of comics take 6 minutes to read not 30 seconds! Pretty art can only take you so far. We need some story dude! But, I understand the need to “hook” in new readers with some awesome action – so, I’ll calm down and turn to page 7. Oh, and the bad guy is clearly not Killer Croc, but some kind of lizard robot thingy that likes to hang out at the Gotham docks doing evil shit.

PAGE 7: Green Lantern shows up in a pretty impressive first entrance. He succeeds in taking out the Lizard-Borg-Thingy but nearly takes out Batman as well. Clearly this Green Lantern is one of those “rushes in before thinking” type of guys.

PAGE 8: So for the record, the first 7 pages of Justice League #1 only has 50 words for us to read. Does that seem a little low to you? Yeah, it does. Johns is relying WAY too much on the art to tell the story. But here on page 8 it looks like the story is finally kicking in, and it’s a splash page no less. Here he see Green Lantern in all his high-collared , armored shoulder-padded glory. I find it funny that a “Space Cop” has the same high-collar costume look as Earth based heroes. It’s like they had the same tailor making their clothes… oh wait…. they kinda did.

PAGE 9: Yay! Almost half a page devoted to helicopters shooting guns! Batman confirms my suspicions about the Gotham Police being corrupt. Hopefully Gordon can whip them into shape. Looks like GL is having the same issues with the authorities “out west” as Batman is. People don’t trust the heroes. I’m sure they will all change their mind once the superheroes save the planet Earth from being enslaved by an alien race.

PAGE 10: Why Batman? Why is it necessary for the world to be afraid of superheroes? I mean, I guess I can see why YOU would want people to be afraid, you’re like Dracula and stuff, but the Green Lantern? He’s not very scary and really, seems to really want to help out and put out fires with green fire trucks. Oh well, no time to ponder that question because Alien-Lizard-Robot just woke up and is starting some shit again (and now it has wings!). “Back to the action Mr. Lee!”

PAGE 11: Panel 1: So I’m not sure if the Alien-Lizard-Robot is shooting at the Helicopters or if the Helicopters are shooting at the Alien-Lizard-Robot. Panel 2: Well, at any rate the Alien-Lizard-Robot just jumped thru the helicopters so later for you Gotham Police Helicopter Pilots. Panel 3″ No Wait! The pilots are saved thanks The Green Lantern, who apparently is feared throughout the world for…uh….saving people. Perhaps they fear him because he refers to himself in the 3rd person. Those kinda people are always scary.

PAGE 12: Panel1: The Alien-Lizard-Robot has just turned into a Alien-Spider-Robot – I smell “Transformer Toy” line DC!. Panel 2: Not sure how Batman is going to fit into this would “Justice League” thing when he is spouting off lines like, “Go back home Green Lantern, Gotham City is MINE!” like a little baby. Batman, you gotta learn to share. Plus, remember a few pages back when the Alien-Lizard was knocking-you-the-fuck-out? Green Lantern saved your ass with that green firetruck – or have you already forgotten about that? Panel 3: Jim Lee sure does like that “extra slack” in swing-lines.

PAGE 13: Wait a second! Are there 5 panels on this page? That can’t be right. Let me count’em again. Yep, 5 panels, and all with words in them. Welcome to the party Geoff Johns. Finally, we find out what the Alien was doing in Gotham (not just randomly hopping from roof top to roof top), planting BOMBS downtown. But when caught started a bunch of fires and took off. But thanks to Green Lantern, who EVERYONE is afraid of, the fires in the city are being taken care of and tons of peoples lives and houses saved. I think GL said it best in panel 3 of this page, “Green Lantern can handle anything.” 3RD PERSON ALERT! 3RD PERSON ALERT! 3D PERSON ALERT!

PAGE 14: Best page in the comic right here ya’all. Batman slipping the ring off GL finger without GL noticing is pretty f’ing awesome. It’s almost as if Johns had this scene written years ago but couldn’t find a place to fit it. So he asked DC if he could re-boot the entire DC Universe just so he could use it. Nice work buddy.

PAGE 15: MOTHERFUC…… oops I mean… MOTHER BOX! But GL and Bat’s don’t know that yet. And also don’t know Darkseid is one bad motherboxer too. Another pretty cool happening in this comic – having the DC heroes have NO CLUE what they are about to go up against. I like it. Stick to your guns DC and make this re-boot stick. Don’t back in 5 years and say, “oh, Flash fixed everything that he fucked up in Flashpoint and the DCU is reverted back to they way it was cicra August 2011”. No one in this new DC knows who Darkseid is, and that is cool.

PAGE 16: Again, goodf think GL showed up to save Batman yet again from that pesky Alien. And for the record, Dark Side is a horrible name for a band. Johns should have went for the Darth Vader joke here. Oh well, hindsight and all.

PAGE 17: Panel 1: Dude, even GL’s ring has no idea what the hell that box is. makes me wonder where Darkseid’s been hiding out at? Panel 3: But of course the Dark Knight Detective hits the nail on the head and figures out its a computer or something, and not some puzzle that will open the gates of hell and will tear your soul apart! Panel 4: hmmm, should GL’s line be, “Won’t be a problem for GREEN LANTERN!”

PAGE 18: Hey what the heck? How did this comic transform into Superman: Earth One all of the sudden? I mean I like Shane Davis art and that dude sure can draw a football scene but….

PAGE 19: Cyborg is gonna have Dad issues.

PAGE 20: I’ve been staring at this page for 5 minutes trying to think of something clever to say, but I’ve got nothing… on to the next page! Hopefully there is some action, I’m kinda over all this “talking” business.

PAGE 21: From from the dialog on this page it seems that not everyone knows about Green Lantern yet. Because if they did, a glowing green jet flying 6 feet above your head would be a good sign GL was in the neighborhood. But Batman knew about him and his run ins with the air force out west. Then again, it is Batman and dude knows lots of stuff. Ok, I’m over this Cyborg interlude.

PAGE 22: “Back in Metropolis, circus and elephants…” Sorry, had that Church song in my head. Odd, Metropolis has the same building design as Gotham City. Ah ha! Taking a look at panel 2 we see that Lexcorp is tearing down these old buildings and building the city of tomorrow. I’m sure in 5 years Metropolis will have a whole new look. Panel 3 is a good time to address GL’s new “Construct look” in which squiggly lines now are attached to them that lead back to the ring. No doubt a Jim Lee idea – I’ think looks pretty cool.

PAGE 23: Panel 1: something fast, blue, and red just took out GL. If this is Superman, this isn’t your fathers Superman (but I think that was the whole idea of this re-boot). Panels 2 and 3: two whole panels devoted to GL getting the shit knocked out of him. damn, Superman is no joke. Panel 4: Nice boots.

PAGE 24: First appearance of Superman in the new DCU….. nuff said.

STORY = 3
ART = 4

Story: 3 - Good
Art: 3 - Good

Comments

  1. Precisely. Good review.
    Thanks.

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